War for the Core
by Tessellation
Summary: When the Toa of the most secrative island in the universe must reveal their existance or lose the Av-Matoran's homeland,could it lead to the Brotherhood of Makuta gainging enough strength to overthrow the Great Beings? Rated T for later chapters.
1. Enter: the Toa Destral

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bionicle in general or the Rahi, Spiny Stone Ape. I **do **own Destral Nui, Huna Nui, the Toa Destral, the Toa Huna, and the plot for this story.

**Summary:** When the Toa of the most secretive island in the universe must reveal their existence or loose the Av-Matoran's homeland, could it lead to the Brotherhood of Makuta gaining enough power and knowledge to overthrow the Great Beings for good?

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**Enter: The Toa Destral**

Toa Rife strode between the huts in Krapo Koro, his mind wandering. _I've never really thought about how gloomy Destral Nui would look to an outsider, _he thought. He was right of course, as the entire island had a predominant shadow theme, a memento of its association with the Brotherhood of Makuta. His pondering continued until he almost stepped on a young Spiny Stone Ape named Pehkui. "What was I here for again?" he wondered aloud. "For a meeting and you're late-again."

Rife turned toward the owner of the voice-his team leader, Tosen, Toa of Stone. "I thought Rai was the airhead fire-spitter." The Toa of Fire looked around Tosen and saw the other four members of his team: The Retaw, Toa of Water(who was the one teasing him), Haret of Earth, Eci, Toa of Ice, and the slightly annoyed Rai of Air.

"You should watch were you're going. Dnas would have your head if anything happened to Pehkui," Tosen remarked. He seemed as though he was going to lecture Rife, but Eci spoke up first. "Don't we need to start the meeting?" The others nodded and Tosen lead the way to his hut. Before anyone even sat down Tosen stated grimly, "We have lost contact with Huna Nui."

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"WHAT?" The Toa's shouts were deafening in the bareness of Krapo Wahi. "Yes," said Tosen, removing his hands from his ears "None of the Toa Huna have sent word to us or the Order." "B-but Tosen, Huna Nui is the home of the Av-Matoran," stuttered Rai. "It covers the core of the universe," pointed out Haret. "They are defensless except the Toa Huna!" said Retaw. "Could the Brotherhood have captured it all ready?" asked Rife. "I know, I know, I know, and maybe to answer all of you at once," stated Tosen irritated, "The Toa Nuva are still on their quest, the Toa Mahri are grieving, the Toa Hagah are on Xia, and any other Toa are scattered across the universe. We don't have many spare reinforcements for them. Even the Order of Mata Nui is low on operatives lately."

"What should we do then?" asked Retaw. "Perhaps we could send one of our own to gather information," stated Haret. "Out of the question," said Tosen "If the Brotherhood is involved, one Toa won't do it. We'll need a small army." The other Toa were staring him, waiting for his plan. Finally, it came to him, "We will separate into groups of two and gather any solitary Toa we can. The Order can cover Destral Nui's protection for a while." Tosen stood, waiting for a question. "I don't know brother, would that be safe?" questioned Rife. Eci answered for him, "Sending any fewer Toa will take too long and time is of the essence." Rife reluctantly nodded, "Okay then, what are the teams?"

Tosen thought for a moment, considering each of his teammates' strengths and weaknesses. "I will go with Eci," he said "Haret with Rai and Rife with Retaw. Sound good?" The others nodded in agreement. "All right then, with any luck we shall leave in two days."

Haret stood and headed for the doorway. "What's your hurry brother?" asked Rai. "I'm going back to Kraonu Wahi," he said. "Why?" Rai demanded. Haret stopped and smiled, "You know me better than that Rai," he answered "I'm going to brush up on my history." And with that he left the hut, headed for a nearby bridge. It would take him through Krako Wahi and on to Kraonu Wahi's familiar mountains. Eci followed shortly after. Both kept quiet, knowing that if Tosen would suggest splitting up, or leaving Destral Nui with no Toa, this was a very, very bad situation.

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_Well, it is somewhat short, but there it is. This is my first FanFic so review but be gentle. And before I forget, Destral Nui's region names have the prefix "kra-" meaning shadow added to underline a dark history. I'll explain in the next chapter. The Matoran are not tainted by shadow and don't have "kra-" in their name. _


	2. Air and Earth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bionicle in general or the Rahi species, Spiny Stone Ape. I **do **own Destral Nui and all its regions, Rahi, and inhabitants, Huna Nui, the Toa Destral, the Toa Huna, and the plot for this story.

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**Air and Earth**

Toa Haret strode up to the entrance of the Record Halls in Kraonu Koro's most secure area: the Ebon Valley. The Prophecy Halls (north) and Record Halls (south) divided Kraonu Wahi; the right side was the home of the Record Keepers and the left side (the side Haret had just passed through) was the home of the prophets. Haret knew that his fellow Toa saw him as something of a bigot when it came to the Record Halls but as a former Keeper he just couldn't see why. How can you be modest when you have access to the most complete records in the known universe?

Haret glanced around to make sure he wasn't being watched. Then, as fast as possible, he removed a special black medallion from his pack. It was generally referred to as the Keeper's Coin. The Coin was about the size of his palm and appeared blank. However, they were specially designed so when even the smallest amount of elemental energy was flowed into it (small enough that even a Matoran could muster it) the emblem of Destral Nui appeared on it and it could be used as an access key. Keeper's Coins of this type were standard issue among Record Keepers and all Keepers had it on their person at all times. To lose the Coin was one of the worst offenses among the Keepers and if it couldn't be found you were permanently put on guard duty, never to actually access the records again.

Haret flowed his elemental energy into the Coin and quickly placed it into one of dozens of identical, circular-shaped slots on the two massive doorways. He removed it just as the doors began to open. Haret then slid inside and walked down the Halls as the doors shut and locked. Haret passed by countless entrances to other, smaller hallways (called Corridors), each flanked by two Keepers. A few saluted their Toa as he passed, reading the titles over the doorways in the dim light. Haret knew where everything was by heart but enjoyed seeing how large their collection was. He stopped at a doorway near the end of the Hall that was marked "Avohkii". Haret glanced at the two Onu-Matoran guards and blinked, surprised. They were Drit and Lios, two of his closest friends as a Matoran that had evidently been promoted since he last saw them.

"I require access to this Corridor." Haret spoke the words as if his friends were high ranking Order members. It didn't matter if you were a Toa, Matoran, Turaga, or Mata Nui himself; everything was just business in here and everyone could be denied access. "State your reason," said Drit. "Keep in mind that this is a high-security Corridor," added Lios, with equal neutrality. "I desire to research Huna Nui and its Toa in preparation for an upcoming mission," Haret replied. "Mission severity?" asked Drit. "Urgent." The Keepers looked at each other, then back at Haret. Then, simultaneously, they each took a Keeper's Coin bearing the picture of a sun and inserted them into slots like those found at the entrance. As the door opened the two Matoran simply said, "Access granted," and moved aside to allow the Toa to pass. Haret silently walked into the Corridor, which branched off into several separate rooms. These rooms were absent of Matoran guards. Haret walked to the doorway marked "Toa Huna", opened the door, and entered.

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There was a loud rustling in the trees, followed by the screech of a Gukko bird. It was this noise that attracted the Air Toa's attention. Rai immediately turned around and leaped upward into the canopy. He landed on one of the stronger branches and saw, to his horror, an adult Gukko desperately attempting to defend its nest from one of the most dangerous Rahi in Krale Wahi: a Harvester Serpent. They were a vicious species and an environmentalist's worst nightmare, but also incredibly rare. There were only two or three in existence, all on Destral Nui. Their bodies were designed to shear through foliage: their tails ended in a four bladed stinger, but their most distinguishing trait was what earned them their names. They had arms that ended in three-fingered hands, with a long, sharp, blade on each finger. Rai recognized this particular Harvester as one he had seen as a Matoran. Rai himself had named it Cordak (meaning "desolation") and greatly disliked him, for Cordak's preferred prey was Gukko bird eggs.

_Cordak hasn't seen me _he thought readying his sword and shield, _this Harvester is durable; I can probably knock him off the tree with a small gust of wind without harming him or the eggs. If not…No, better not think about that. _Before Rai could even raise his weapon, however, a small rock flew up and struck Cordak in the eye. The Rahi roared in pain and was immediately hit with yet another rock, this one sharpened. Cordak screeched even louder than the Gukko and, apparently deciding this wasn't worth so much effort, slithered down the tree trunk and disappeared. "Are you all right little one?" Rai asked the Gukko, using his Kanohi Mask of Translation. The bird cawed back; assuring the Toa she and her nest were safe. Satisfied, Rai jumped down, using an updraft to soften his fall. He brushed his armor then called out "Nice shot Sutyg," into the brush.

At this a grinning Le-Matoran jumped out of the trees, holding a slingshot. He was followed by a shaken looking Ta-Matoran named Komes, holding a pouch. "You two shouldn't be wandering around here," Rai warned "The Ebon Leaf Jungle is dangerous." He paused then added, "Especially with creatures like Cordak skulking around." "Then what were _you _doing here Rai?" countered Sutyg. To anyone else this would have seemed to be disrespect, but Rai recognized his friend's humor. "I needed to tell the other Le-Matoran about an off-island mission that's coming up, but you can do that for me right Sutyg?" Sutyg shrugged in agreement and listened half-heartedly to Rai's explanation. As Sutyg and Komes raced off toward the Koro Rai felt a pang of sorrow knowing this may be the last time he sees his old friend.

_

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I am much more satisfied with the length here: two pages! And yes, there is a reason for mentioning these Matoran so early. I may only get the start of the titular "War" in this fanfic, but I plan to make a series out of this anyway. Review!_


	3. Fire and Ice

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bionicle; never have and (probably ;-)) never will.

** Fire and Ice**

Rife couldn't understand it. He had lived near the Black Lava Chain for as long as he could remember, avoiding any eruptions as a Matoran, and even stopping some (with the others' help) as a Toa. He had always wondered how the Ta-Matoran could have worked and lived so close to these bombs and never had any accidents. Now the answer came to him: pure luck; something Rife clearly didn't have at the moment.

_I really hate it when Tosen is right, _Rife thought as he desperately leaped, rolled, and dodged; all while trying to stop the surprisingly quick-moving lava flow he had caused. "He's always saying 'Don't push it Rife,'" the Toa said to himself. "And I would always say 'I have to test my limits Tosen.'" _At least Orfeinn got away, _he thought as he swung his axe, pushing back part of the flow. _That Ta-Matoran is going to get himself killed if he keeps trying to play Chronicler. _

Rife swung the axe high above his head and, with a yell, plunged it into the side of the volcano. Immediately, the eruption ceased and the rest of the lava hardened, adding to the size and strength of Krata Wahi's greatest landmark. _Self-sufficiency, _the now exhausted Toa of Fire thought, _that's what these beautiful cones teach us. With each eruption their power only increases. _"That was incredible!" Rife whirled around at the shout and saw a Ta-Matoran jumping with excitement: Orfeinn. "Orfeinn, I tought I told you to get out of here. What If I hadn't been able to stop the lava flow, huh?"

"But Toa Rife, I need to record as many of your accomplishments as possible before you leave," said Orfeinn, still amazed. The Matoran clearly didn't see the danger he had put himself in. "At least you didn't drag Komes into this again," Rife sighed, "Now lets go home, I need to rest." As they began the walk back to Krata Koro, Rife paused and whipered "And Orfeinn…don't tell Tosen about this, he would never let me live it down."

_It's so nice to get out of Krapo Wahi! That blasted desert is gonna be the death of me. _Eci stopped walking and looked around. He was about halfway between Krako Koro and the Manas Glaciers. The Glaciers were in the exact center of the Dark Ice Fields (at the center of the Wahi). It was along the sides of these fourteen massive walls of ice that statues of all the Toa of Ice were carved. Eci had recently finished work on the statue of Toa Torfs (his mentor), one of the Ice Toa who traveled to Metru Nui. The Glaciers themselves acted as Destral Nui's clock; they formed a massive circle that floated in a lake only slightly larger in diameter.

Eci shook himself. "I'm starting to act like Rife," he muttered to himself. He turned and continued walking toward the Koro. As he did, the normally constant sleet of dark-grey snow slowed to a stop. Little did he know how significant this was.

A few minutes later, Toa Eci strode trough the streets of Krako Koro. Passing between the beautiful (if somewhat unsettling) Black Ice Science Spires. It was here that the Ko-Matoran did what they did best: discover, ponder, and research. The streets were often sparsely populated; today was no different. However, looking around, Eci caught a glimpse of a lone Ko-Matoran, staring up at the sky.

"Teels! Hey, Teels!" Eci called to his old friend. Teels didn't notice. _Typical. He's always thinking,_ Eci thought. Then he grinned. Using a small amount of his elemental power, Eci conjured a snowball. Still grinning, he threw it. When the snowball hit its target, all Teels managed to do was sputter "What?" Then he whirled around hissing, "Wons, for the last time I do not like you doing that." Eci was surprised, Teels was always serious, but this was unusual, even for him. "It's me Teels," he called, "Wons isn't here. What're you so angry about?"

"Oh, hello Eci," Teels replied, "I'm just a little…on edge." "Wons is annoying, but that's no reason to freak out like that." Eci laughed. But Teels shook his head. "No, that is not it. It stopped snowing." There was a pause, then Eci burst out laughing. "It is not funny!" Teels yelled, "It only stops snowing when something bad happens. Remember when Toa Torfs left? The snow stopped until his mask and spear were sent back!" Eci stopped laughing and gripped that spear he now had strapped on his back, remembering that horrible day. "Y-yeah, but this…this is nothing. You worry too much." "And you do not worry enough." countered Teels. _Maybe, but it's the only way I can forget about Torfs. _Eci thought sadly.

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_Alright, there's chapter 3! Sorry it took so long. Review._


	4. Stone and Water

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bionicle in general or the Rahi species, Spiny Stone Ape. I **do **own the Toa Destral, Destral Nui and all its inhabitants and regions.

**Stone and Water**

CRASH! Tosen rolled to avoid debris as the boulder smashed into the ground. Looking up, the Toa of Stone saw that Pehkui (now twice the Toa's size) had hurled another boulder. In one, fluid movement he drew his Rockslide Katana and split the boulder in two. "Ha! Try again Dnas!" The Po-Matoran's head popped up from behind the massive form of Pehkui. With a grin he yelled "If you say so Tosen! Pehkui, power of three!"

The Spiny Stone Ape growled in response, and with a moment's concentration, demonstrated the power for which he was named. Pehkui's body glowed briefly, then, he grew until he was triple Tosen's size. With a vicious roar, the Ape ripped two more chunks of stone from the Manas Path and hurled them at Tosen.

_These ones are too big! _He thought_ but maybe… _Quickly, Tosen focused all of his willpower into stopping the boulders in their tracks. For a single terrifying moment, they were still coming. Then, abruptly, they stopped dead in midair, a foot and a half from Tosen's head.

"That's enough Dnas! We've done enough training for one day," the exhausted Toa called to his friend. Dnas nodded and muttered something to Pehkui. Soon the Po-Matoran was hurrying over, a now shrunken Pehkui clinging to his shoulder. "All right Tosen," he said "Now you have to tell me who's going to guard Destral Nui while you and the others are gone." Tosen frowned. _That was our deal,_ thought the Toa _but he won't be happy about the answer. For Mata Nui's sake, even I'm not happy with it!_

Tosen looked down at the eager-faced Dnas and smiled slightly. Dnas was Tosen's best friend; even including his fellow Toa! Tosen often felt Dnas, with his bold, action-taking personality would have made a better Toa than the quiet, cautious Tosen. He couldn't break a promise to Dnas.

"I can't be sure of it yet. There aren't many members the Order of Mata Nui can spare," he began hesitantly "But I think the guard will be…" Tosen couldn't bring himself to say the name of the greedy former treasurer of the Order. Finally, he managed to talk "I-it's…Dujas."

"Toa Retaw!" called Diquil. "Retaw, we know you're somewhere around here!" shouted Ropav. The two Ga-Matoran were frustrated. They had been looking all around Kraga Koro for their friend, but the wild Toa of Water was nowhere to be found. "Knowing her, she's probably climbing the Ebon Mountains or swimming down the Dark Water Deltas," thought Ropav aloud. "Well, we're certainly not going all the way to Kraonu Wahi, and we've checked the Deltas already. The Manas Grotto is the only place left to look," replied Diquil.

The enclosed dome of the Manas Grotto was coming into view. Just off the tip of the Kraga Peninsula, the Manas Grotto contained the Statues of past Toa of Water, carved by their protégés.

"We really should have come here first," commented Diquil as the two Matoran arrived at the Peninsula's edge, "Retaw always comes here to think." "No, she comes here after she's finished being a daredevil," muttered Ropav. Retaw was her friend, but sometimes her tomboyish personality was irritating. The two Ga-Matoran dove into the water and swam beneath the dome. The Grotto was only accessible from underwater.

Sure enough, when the Matoran surfaced, this time inside the Grotto, Retaw was kneeling, her head down, in front of the statue of her late-predecessor. She was muttering to herself, but Ropav and Diquil only caught the end of what she was saying. "-forgive you, but not me, at least not completely. I only hope that the rumors that you reformed yourself are true. Keep me safe, along with my brothers."

Suddenly, she turned and, seeing her friends, leapt up. "Ropav! Diquil!" she called, the familiar grin springing to her face behind her blue Pakari, Mask of Strength, "I guess you want to know where I'm going, huh?" "We've been looking for you for hours!" cried Ropav, "we even checked the Dark Water Deltas and Marshes!"

Retaw's spirit wasn't easily broken. "Come on! Let's head back to the Koro and I'll explain there," she said. _We just got back from the Koro, _thought a now exasperated Ropav. With a shrug, she and Diquil leapt back into the water, Retaw following. But before leaving, Diquil saw Retaw steal one last glance at her teacher's statue. One last glance at Toa Tuyet.

_It's been a while but I finally got another chapter up. At last the tour of Destral Nui is over! It's going to get more interesting from here on out, I promise! In the next chapter they finally start their mission._


	5. Departure

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle in general or the Rahi species, Spiny Stone Ape

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bionicle in general or the Rahi species, Spiny Stone Ape. I **do **own the Toa Destral, Destral Nui and all its inhabitants and regions.

**Departure**

Dujas gazed on the landscape of Destral Nui with contempt. _So this is what I'm guarding? _he thought. This _is the Brotherhood's old base? I never would have believed that anything could live here if wasn't seeing it with my own eyes._

The new guard was distracted from his musing by a sharp _a-hem. _Dujas glanced at the source of the noise: Botar, the feared member of the Order of Mata Nui tasked with ferrying the irredeemable to the horrible prison, the Pit. "What are you_ still_ doing here, huh Botar?" sneered Dujas.

"Quiet!" snarled Botar. As if it wasn't demeaning enough being reduced to a (rather formidable looking) taxi, now this! "Listen you greedy Son-of-Makuta, I have to stay here until the Toa Destral depart. We can't have you causing trouble right before they leave. Now you are going to _stay quiet _like a little Ussal crab…or else."

Dujas scowled at Botar, but held his tongue. _No, Dujas, no, _he told himself, _you're smarter than him. Don't let him goad you into provoking him. After all, it's only a matter of time until _all _these little worms get what's coming to them. _The Order's greatest scientist smiled slightly at this last thought. Unfortunately for Destral Nui, Botar didn't catch it.

Tosen and Eci were crossing the Ga-Po Bridge to the southern end of Kraga Koro, ready to set off on their quest. Tosen was being evasive on how they would be traveling, but from what Eci could make out they would be on a boat of some kind.

"So," said the Toa of Ice, "When are we going to leave?" "As soon as all six of us are together," said the Stone Toa. He smirked under his X-shaped Kanohi Cossulosus, Mask of Invincibility. "I've told Rife that we were leaving about an hour ago. You know how he's usually late." Eci chuckled. "Yup, that's our Rife."

Much closer to the meeting point, a tall figure in blue armor wearing a wedge-shaped Kanohi was running toward the southern coastline. Toa Retaw could see a large gleam of silver not too far away just beyond the black sand of the beach. _I can't believe I overslept! _she thought. _At least I'm almost there. I may just beat Rife. _She smiled and decelerated to a slow jog.

Retaw spotter something out of the corner of her eye. She turned and burst out laughing. Sitting slumped against a large, black rock, his knees pulled up to his chest and his hand supporting his head, was Rife. He was fast asleep and seemed to have been here for quite some time. "Rife," laughed Retaw, "Hey Riiife." No response. Retaw sighed, reached out, and pushed the Toa of Fire's arm away. Without is hand supporting it, Rife's head dropped and smacked into his bronze Inferno Axe (which was balanced on his knees) with the resounding CLANG of metal hitting metal.

Rife jumped up and the flat of the Axe fell on his foot. "Ouch!" he shouted, now jumping on one foot, his pale pink eyes wide behind his Kanohi Mask of Replication. "What was that for Rai? I got here right on time. _You _guys were late this time!" Retaw was rolling on the ground, laughing like a maniac. _He's still half-asleep, _she realized. _He thinks Rai was playing another joke on him. _ The lighthearted Toa of Air had a habit of playing pranks on Rife when he was late; good-natured, but often ill-timed ones.

Rife spun around, still holding his foot, and saw Retaw. "Oh, it's you Retaw," he said, releasing his foot, "That was uncalled for." "Sorry Rife," she giggled, "What were you doing here so early anyway?" Rife shrugged. "Tosen told me to show up an hour ago. Guess he thought I'd be late."

"Ugh! Is _that _what we're gonna be sailing in, Tosen? You've got no sense for art!"

Rife and Retaw turned and saw Eci and Tosen walking toward the beach. "They aren't supposed to be artistic, brother. They need to be _functional. _If you hate it so much, fix it," Tosen said, exasperated. Then he saw Retaw and Rife. "Rife? When did you get here?"

As Rife explained to the Stone Toa, Retaw got a better look at the three vessels in the water. They all seemed to be made of metal, though where Tosen acquired it was beyond Retaw. Eci leapt on one of them, took out a large bag he had filled with art supplies from his pack and went to work. Then Retaw saw the name etched into the side: _Gustentn._

"The _Gustentn_? Why does that sound familiar?" Retaw muttered to herself. "That is the name of the first Toa of Iron, a member of Toa Lesovikk's team," said a familiar voice behind Retaw. She turned and saw Haret gazing at the ships uncomfortably. He couldn't swim and was probably concerned about sinking. "Rife will like the name. He always loved to play with words." Behind the Toa of Earth, Retaw spotted Rai talking with Rife and Tosen.

There was a thud as Eci, finished with his work, leapt to the ground as Rife, Rai, and Tosen walked over. Tosen had already spoken to Dujas and Botar. The preparations were complete. Fire and Water, Ice and Stone, and Air and Earth were assembled. The time had come to depart from Destral Nui. Rife was rather sad. So were the others, of course, but the Fire Toa couldn't shake the feeling that his home wouldn't be the same when he returned.

_Cliffhanger! I'm evil aren't I? This has to be my longest chapter yet. Don't worry; the action will start up soon. Oh, and before I forget…REVIEW!!_


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